SEATTLE -- They might as well call him “Rake” Fraley at this point.
Jake Fraley lined a game-winning single through a shift to score Jake Bauers from third base and send the Mariners to a 5-4 win in the 10th inning over the Rangers on Friday at T-Mobile Park.
It was Seattle’s 13th victory in its past 17 games, and it pushed the club to five games above .500 (44-39) for the first time since April 24, when it was 13-8. It was also Seattle’s 13th straight win over Texas at home, which is two off the club’s all-time high against any single opponent.
Fraley also clubbed his first career homer at T-Mobile Park in the fifth inning after hitting six on the road to start the season, including one in Thursday’s win over the Blue Jays.
“It's awesome, especially having a day like today where it's the first time that everything's opened back up. It was a big crowd out there and they were loud, too. So, to be able to put on a game like that for all the fans of Seattle for this being the first day, it was it was huge.”
Fraley’s game-winner was one of three critical moments in the game that the Mariners played in front of a no-restrictions crowd for the first time since the pandemic began.
Here is a breakdown of those sequences and why they mattered in the context of a single game and beyond.
The 'coolest moment' of J.P.’s life
The chants began as a faint murmur, but by the time J.P. Crawford stepped to the plate with the game on the line, they were at a raucous roar.
“J.P.! J.P.! J.P!” chanted the season-high 28,638 at T-Mobile Park -- and Seattle’s blossoming shortstop gave the people what they came for.
Crawford lined an opposite-field single between a shift in the eighth inning that scored Fraley from second base and was shaping up to be the game-winning hit until Kendall Graveman surrendered an RBI double in the ninth.
“That was the coolest moment I’ve ever had on a baseball field, or just personally,” Crawford said. “I've never had the whole stadium chanting my name. It was really cool. I really couldn’t feel my body at the moment. But yeah, the whole stadium chanting your name, like you’ve got to come through. You’ve just got to come through.”
For Crawford, it was yet another case for an All-Star bid, and it certainly was his most dramatic over his current hot streak, which is pushing well beyond a month now. Crawford went 3-for-5 to raise his batting average out of the leadoff spot to .341, which catapulted him ahead of Reds All-Star Game starter Jesse Winker’s .339 for the MLB lead.
Gilbert unleashes electric fastball
Spun in the upper-90s mph with confidence and conviction, compounded with roars from a packed house, Logan Gilbert flashed the pitch that the Mariners have been dreaming of for years. And their fans on hand got their best look at what all the hype has been about.
Out of the gate, Gilbert threw 11 four-seam fastballs in the first inning, the slowest of which was his first, at 95.9 mph, and the fastest, his last, at 98.4 mph. It was the classic case of “here it is, hit it” that the 6-foot-6 righty has shown a few times early in starts this season.
But he carried the confidence into the pitch far deeper on Friday. Gilbert didn’t throw a secondary offering until his 15th pitch of the game -- a second-inning, 1-1 changeup to Joey Gallo -- and his fastball accounted for 72 percent of his total usage, more than any start but his last, which was cut short after two innings due to rain in Chicago last Saturday.
“It was a big game plan going into this start, was using the fastball and getting ahead and also in finish counts,” Gilbert said. “It felt really good in the first. I saw the velo was pretty good, the location was pretty good.”
Santiago ditches the rosin
Héctor Santiago made his first appearance since appealing a 10-game suspension for allegedly using an illegal substance, striking out the side in the eighth inning to keep the game tied. His glove was examined upon entering from the bullpen, after which he walked the rosin bag from the mound to the Mariners’ dugout in a gesture of protest.
Santiago and the Mariners argued after he was ejected on Sunday that the sticky substance in question was a byproduct of the rosin mixing with his sweat and dripping down his arm. Friday’s umpires informed him that the rosin bag must remain on or near the mound. Santiago was also told that his glove, which was gray, was not allowed because of its color. And his primary glove is still being inspected by MLB as part of the appeal process.
“Hector is going through some crazy times,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I give him credit. He pitched great tonight, struck out the side, made pitches. Love to have him on this club. It's been a lot of fun. He's pitching really, really well.”
Santiago lowered his ERA to 2.50 in 18 innings over 10 outings since joining the big league club, emerging as a reliable and versatile reliever who can pitch multiple innings or start in a pinch. If his suspension is upheld, his 26-man roster spot could not be replaced.